entertainer
Americannoun
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a singer, comedian, dancer, reciter, or the like, especially a professional one.
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a person who entertains; host.
She was one of the capital's great entertainers.
noun
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a professional singer, comedian, or other performer who takes part in public entertainments
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any person who entertains
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of entertainer
Explanation
An entertainer is a person whose job or goal is to perform for the amusement of others. If you're an entertainer, you might learn how to tap dance and take singing lessons. If you make your living as a comedian, you're an entertainer. You're also an entertainer if you're a dancer, singer, actor, or puppeteer. In all of these cases, your job is to entertain an audience. You can also call the member of your family who's always trying to make everyone laugh an entertainer. The word comes from the verb entertain, which originally meant "to keep up or maintain," and came to also mean "amuse" in the early 17th century.
Vocabulary lists containing entertainer
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was the first time I really learned how to talk to an audience, read a room as an entertainer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
"For me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I'm an entertainer."
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
The entertainer also wrote and recorded “Runway” with rapper Doechii for the sequel’s soundtrack.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
But Mr. Orbán was a better entertainer than builder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
She possessed “a winning grace,” “reserve” and “self-control” appropriate for “a soul far above her present calling …” She’d acquired the skills of an entertainer.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The Telegraph says "England's entertainers" started their World Cup campaign "with a bang".
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Big personalities like Rousey and Conor McGregor helped him do it: both great fighters in their own right, both polarizing entertainers capable of generating big headlines.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
But far from compartmentalizing his faith, as many entertainers do, he speaks of it often, just as he speaks of his family, both being a vital part of who he is.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
“These entertainers have historically been more than just hosts, but in many ways served as the face of their networks,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Now audiences, even in rural areas, are no longer as satisfied with local entertainers and demand world-class talent.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
